Beautiful
by NijiBrush
Summary: "Jeremie..." She whispered softly as she ignored the small flower, choosing instead to hug my neck as two simple words drifted from her lips. "It's beautiful..." -Jerlita- Jeremie's POV


**Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko.**

Beautiful

"What are you waiting for silly?!" Aelita teasingly called from over her shoulder as she darted ahead of me on her bicycle. "C-Coming..." I gasped between breaths as I fought to pedal up the wooded trail in front of me. It had been a few years since high school and the mandatory PE classes that went with it, so I was afraid my desk job had only encouraged me to fall back into my old habit of spending my time glued to a computer screen. Something Aelita seemed determined to fix...

I took in a deep breath as I reached the top of the hill, and with great relief, started to coast down. The early spring breeze ruffled through my hair, as I listened to the pops and crackles, of what remained of autumn's dried leaves, crunching under my tires. A part of me felt the need to hold on to my glasses to keep them from blowing off, but I didn't dare let go of the handle bars. The world was rushing by as such a blur that I barely noticed how far ahead Aelita was by now. But really I was glad she was...since I didn't exactly want her to see the terrified look I guessed was on my face right then. Clenching my teeth I shakily pulled on the brake until I returned to a bit more...um manageable speed. Rounding another bend in the road I swallowed hard, as I gently let my white knuckles fade, and my heart rate slow.

Finally noticing Aelita's bike leaned against a tree, I glided clumsily to a stop before taking a few wobbly steps toward the slight forest clearing. There, standing absolutely still, I saw Aelita staring through a small camera that was strapped around her neck. In her line of sight sat a tiny reddish brown squirrel so intent on enjoying it's meal, that it seemed completely unaware of our presence. A smile gently curved to my lips as I observed the wonderment reflecting on her face as she watched the furry creature. Then with one snap the shutter closed and Aelita glanced back at me with a look of real accomplishment. My shy grin widened as I quietly took a few steps closer to her.

The camera had been a wedding present from Yumi, and in the three short weeks since then, Aelita had already managed to fill an album with the simple everyday moments most people seemed to overlook. "It's beautiful..." She whispered though excitement was clear in her voice. Finally noticing us, the squirrel abandoned what was left of it's acorn and raced up a nearby tree. "Did you get the picture?" I asked softly. She nodded seeming satisfied. "Yes. But...there's one more shot I need..." "What sho-" Before I could finish she quickly brought the camera to her face and snapped a picture of my confused expression. A fit of soft laughter overcame her as she sweetly gazed at me.

"Now I have two beautiful memories of today Jeremie." She said as her eyes reflected the same earnest innocence I had always remembered.

Feeling my cheeks flush at the beautifully sincere smile on her face, I awkwardly reached to straighten my glasses. "You mean the squirrel right...?" Looking disappointed by my low self-esteem, she frowned slightly before turning to examine a small cluster of mushrooms nearly hidden in the leaf cover. I breathed an almost silent sigh as I mentally kicked myself for saying something so ridiculous. Be it three weeks or three million years, I figured I'd never get used to her caring about me. But all the same I didn't want my awkwardness to ever make her doubt how grateful I was that she wanted to be a part of my life. Trying to find a way to fix things, I scanned the ground until I glanced a few colorful wild flowers gently quivering in the breeze. Quietly kneeling I plucked one from the ground before I examined it closer. Finally feeling the bright pink petals were more perfect than the rest, I swallowed a deep nervous breath. "Aelita..." Turning to look at me her face seemed puzzled.

But gathering all my courage I slowly held the flower out to her. "I love you..." I watched as a smile gently rose to her face. "Jeremie..." She whispered softly as she ignored the small flower, choosing instead to hug my neck as two simple words drifted from her lips.

"It's beautiful..."

FIN

**Thanks for reading! Feel free to review.**


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